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Tefl reviews - Lesson Planning Part 8 Process For Study Activities - ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ITTT
Lesson Planning - Part 8 - Process For Study Activities
Just to finish off this particular section on lesson planning, we're going to go through a couple of procedures that should take place during the study phase periods, particularly when we're doing the activities. It is quite important that before we actually go into a study activity that we go through a process of showing how that activity is going to work and one acronym that is often used for this is D-E-GO. The D part of this stands for a demonstration of the activity. Now, it's very important that you don't try to explain how the activity is going to work but rather you actually demonstrate the process. An example of the demonstration of the process of the activity could be something as simple as taking the first... [Read more]
5 More Activities to Play in Your Classroom - TEFL Blog
Fri, 26 Jun 2020 Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
5 More Activities to Play in Your Classroom
This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate KINGSLEY A. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
1. SEND A CARD
Spread the flashcards out on the floor, right side up if you are learning a new skill, and upside down if you are reviewing. Seat children in a circle around the cards. The player takes a card and says, "I'd like to send this card to ____." (S)he hands the card to the chosen student. If that student responds correctly he keeps the card on the floor in front of him and chooses a card for another player. If he responds incorrectly the group can help him figure out the correct response and let him keep the card, or... [Read more]
How to Reduce Teacher Talk Time - TEFL Blog
Tue, 30 Jun 2020 Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
How to Reduce Teacher Talk Time
The main goal of reducing teacher talk time or TTT is to have the teacher speaking less and the students engaging more. This essay will explore the benefits of doing this for the teacher and student, complications that could arise and how to deal with them, and how this can be implemented into any ESL lesson. It will cover a few key areas in an ESA lesson such as planning, questioning, student participation, silence, and instructions.
This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Benjamin R. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
Instructions
One of the first things as teachers that we can do to reduce teacher talk time is to give... [Read more]
Accuracy vs. Fluency When Speaking - TEFL Blog
Mon, 08 Aug 2022 Federico Riva
TEFL Information Teaching Ideas
Accuracy vs. Fluency When Speaking
In this blog post, we will consider some important educational background theoretical and practical knowledge. The planning of a lesson for speaking skills (one of the two productive skills) requires us to look first at the ideas of accuracy versus fluency.
Watch the video about this topic
We will start by defining our terms.1) Speaking accuracy relates to the correct usage of grammar and vocabulary.2) Speaking fluency relates to our ability to continue speaking without any interruption, such as thinking what the next word should be.
If we consider language learning in general and an ESA style lesson in particular, then within the whole lesson fluency and accuracy are equally important.... [Read more]
5 Engaging Games for Your English Conversation Class - TEFL Blog
Wed, 29 Jul 2020 Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
5 Engaging Games for Your English Conversation Class
Practicing conversational skills is often daunting for students. However, with these awesome activities, you’ll engage your students in speaking quicker as they will like the tasks.
Listen to this blog post:
1. Ice-Breaker Jenga
Jenga is a favorite stack game to millions of people. Your students will get excited as soon as they see the blocks. For this activity, you need to customize the blocks a bit by writing 1 ice-breaking question on each piece. Students need to pull a block and answer the question before putting it on the top of the stack.
You can adjust this game to online classes by using online Jenga.
Also Read: Can I teach English as a foreign language online?
2. Get to... [Read more]
A Sample Lesson Plan to Present New Grammar to Young Students - TEFL Blog
Tue, 03 Dec 2019 Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
A Sample Lesson Plan to Present New Grammar to Young Students
Lesson Plan
This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Charos H. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
I’ve designed this lesson for beginner students in the ESL new language class. There are 6 students in a small group classroom. The students are between 6-7 years old. My goal is to provide opportunities to explore and personalize a new language. I chose the “Straight Arrow” ESA methodology to teach the topic, Do you like Fruit?
Also Read: Who will my students be when teaching English abroad?
Engage Stage (10 minutes):
I will start to play the “Do you like Broccoli Ice Cream?” Kid’s... [Read more]
Online vs. On-Site TEFL Courses - TEFL Blog
Tue, 03 Mar 2020 Elizaveta Pachina
Alumni Experiences
Online vs. On-Site TEFL Courses
The content of online courses and onsite courses is similar. As for the effect of learning, it varies from person to person. Some students like online courses. Because online courses do not need to go to the site to attend classes, they can go to class directly at home, which is convenient and time-consuming. It is more flexible, you can choose the time of the lecture, and you can listen to it repeatedly during the validity period. In particular, most of the users of our drop-out network are in-service personnel, and they can use the time to watch the video to learn. Face-to-face courses are convenient,some students prefer onsite courses because the courses are more direct, and they can... [Read more]
7 Awesome ESL Conversation Activities to Really Get Your Students Talking - TEFL Blog
Mon, 01 Oct 2018 Linda Dunsmore
Teaching Ideas
7 Awesome ESL Conversation Activities to Really Get Your Students Talking
We all know what it’s like to teach a class with reluctant students who don’t want to talk. It’s like pulling teeth. However, with these 7 awesome ESL conversation activities, you can really get your students talking!
Listen to this blog post:
1. Ice Breaker Jenga
For this activity, you simply use a tumbling block game such as Jenga and write 1 simple ice breaker question on each block. Before a student places a block on the stack, they must first answer the question on the block. This activity is especially great for small ESL classes or for small groups in a big class.
Also Read: The 5 Best Ways To Build Rapport With Your TEFL Students
2. Get To Know You... [Read more]
How to Become a Self-Assured Teacher - TEFL Blog
Thu, 30 Jul 2020 Elizaveta Pachina
Alumni Experiences
How to Become a Self-Assured Teacher
Before getting into teaching I had a good experience in the corporate sector. Training always had my interest, but never I thought that my first day would be so unpredictable. As I was a fresher in the training field, I could always relate with my students. I could just feel that if after having reasonable knowledge I could be nervous and unconfident, students can sure be. The day I am talking about was my first demo lecture for a group of students. As the students started entering the classroom, my mind was just running towards the unknown queries I may have to face. But, gradually I understood that to have an answer to all questions was a very wrong expectation to keep from oneself. The... [Read more]
How Сan We Decrease Teacher Talking Time and Why Should We? - TEFL Blog
Fri, 07 Feb 2020 Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
How Сan We Decrease Teacher Talking Time and Why Should We?
Have you ever had the experience of saying a fictional character's name out loud to someone for the first time and they don't know whom you are talking about even though you're reading the same book? I have and it was a confusing feeling. The thing I have learned about English is that to truly learn it, you need to speak it. When we learn English by speaking it out loud we can avoid the mistakes of mispronouncing words that we have only ever read in our heads. This is the primary reason I think we need to decrease teacher speaking time in class and dramatically increase student speaking time when we are teaching our students English.
This post was written by our TEFL... [Read more]
How can an instructor effectively use games with adult EFL students? - TEFL Blog
Tue, 30 Apr 2019 Elizaveta Pachina
Alumni Experiences
How can an instructor effectively use games with adult EFL students?
When I first made the transition from primary school to university, I knew that my lesson plans were clearly going to have to change. As I began to come up with ideas for my new job, I was disappointed that most of the content I previously used had no place in the university. Games, such as Hangman and Pictionary, worked excellently in capturing the interests of my young students, but I didn’t think these childish games had any place in a university classroom. I found out weeks later how wrong I was when I used Pictionary at the beginning of one of my courses to ‘preview’ the vocabulary we would be covering in class that day. I discovered that day that... [Read more]
Enhancing Listening Skills: Key Considerations for Adult ESL Classes - TEFL Blog
Fri, 07 Jul 2023 Federico Riva
TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas
Enhancing Listening Skills: Key Considerations for Adult ESL Classes
Listening is possibly the least covered of the four skills needed by ESL learners in most classrooms. As it is a fundamental skill, teachers should try to create as many listening skills lessons as they do for the other three skills: reading, writing, and speaking.
Challenges of Listening Compared to Reading
Listening is often a much more difficult task for students than the other receptive skill of reading. This is because usually when reading, we have time to go back and forth over the text. If there is something we don't quite get the first time around, we simply go back and look again. In most natural listening situations, this is... [Read more]
Live Look into TEFL/TESOL Online Course Platform - TEFL Blog
Thu, 20 May 2021 Federico Riva
TEFL Information
Live Look into TEFL/TESOL Online Course Platform
Hello and welcome, Linda here again. Thanks so much for tuning in to this week's live session. If you're listening to this as a podcast episode, thanks so much for the download. We always turn our live sessions into podcast episodes so if you're into podcasts check that out. You can find us on any podcast platform, you can just search for The TEFL and TESOL Podcast from ITTT. We are live on Facebook and on YouTube as always, so thanks so much for tuning in.
Watch the live session here
I see there are a lot of people joining. What we're going to do today is I am going to show you what it looks like when you take an online TEFL course with ITTT. I’m just making sure that everything works... [Read more]
“Be Interested, not Interesting”: How to Decrease Teacher Talking Time - TEFL Blog
Tue, 30 Jun 2020 Elizaveta Pachina
Alumni Experiences
“Be Interested, not Interesting”: How to Decrease Teacher Talking Time
Let’s remember the latest class you’ve had. What were you doing? Were you explaining a new rule? Were you answering your students’ questions? Were you telling a story from your life? Weren’t you talking too much? Let’s discuss how to decrease teacher speaking time (TST) and increase student speaking time (SST).
This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate DALER R. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
Communicative approach
According to the communicative approach, TST shouldn’t be greater than SST, moreover, it must be much less than the last one. Why? There are several... [Read more]
6 Great Blackboard Games for Your Online Lesson - TEFL Blog
Sat, 18 Jul 2020 Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
6 Great Blackboard Games for Your Online Lesson
Online teaching has experienced a huge boom in recent months and many teachers have to teach online. The 6 ideas below will help you with engaging your students and grabbing their attention through the computer screen. These activities can be used as icebreakers and transitions between other tasks to cheer the learners up.
Listen to this blog post:
1. Three of a Kind
For this activity, you need to prepare a shared Google document with several groups of three words depending on your students’ English level. Have them figure out what those words have in common. You can use cards from the “Tribond for Kids” game with younger students and more advanced vocabulary for teens and adults.... [Read more]
A Sample Lesson Plan For a 2nd Grade Classroom - TEFL Blog
Mon, 17 Aug 2020 Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
A Sample Lesson Plan For a 2nd Grade Classroom
This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Trang V. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
Preparation
Also Read: Moving Forward: My Personal Teaching Experience, Changing Careers
PROCEDURE
Engagement
STAGE 1 - Understanding And Learning The Meaning Of New Words (10’)Firstly, students watch a video that is related to colors. Students give their attention the main words: Black, white, yellow, pink, blue, green, orange, grey, brown, purple, redHelp them to understand what topic we learn today. They watch the video once and try to remember some of the colors.Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4XUBGJK180
Then the... [Read more]
What are The Ways to Manage and Adapt Teaching and Learning for Mixed-Ability Classes? - TEFL Blog
Tue, 30 Jun 2020 Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
What are The Ways to Manage and Adapt Teaching and Learning for Mixed-Ability Classes?
Teachers of ESL will often find themselves in charge of a class with students at different levels of proficiency. When this happens, the teacher needs to know ways to adapt and manage the class and activities in a way that benefits all the students. The stronger students could become bored if the teacher caters to the weaker ones, and, reversely, the weaker students could become demotivated and feel forgotten and left behind when they cannot keep up with the advanced students. So how can a teacher make sure all the students get what they need from the class?
This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Leigh K. Please note that this... [Read more]
Creating your Own English Immersion Experience for ESL Students - TEFL Blog
Tue, 15 Feb 2022 Estefany Garduño
TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas
Creating your Own English Immersion Experience for ESL Students
When you hear about English lessons, the first thing that comes into your mind is probably lessons taken from a book, answer lesson sheets, and talking in pairs applying a small group of vocabulary, and that’s all. Let’s change the game by giving a higher immersion of English to your ESL students without going to an English-speaking country to obtain more vocabulary, pronunciation, and speaking practice.
What is an English Immersion Experience?
Being immersed in English is the way of “forcing” oneself to use the language, hearing how others use it, thinking in English to give answers in English, stopping trying to translate all... [Read more]
4 Reasons Why You Don't Need a Program to Teach English Abroad - TEFL Blog
Wed, 14 Nov 2018 Linda Dunsmore
TEFL Information
4 Reasons Why You Don't Need a Program to Teach English Abroad
Teaching English abroad is one of the most sought-after career paths for many people these days. Who wouldn’t love to travel and move to a new country, while making good money and changing the lives of countless people wanting to improve their English? There are many ways to make it abroad and start your dream job and one of them is by going through a teaching program. However, these programs often involve high fees in exchange for services that we believe can easily be done yourself! Here are 4 reasons why you don't need a program to teach English abroad.
Huge Worldwide Demand for TEFL Certified Teachers
It is estimated that there are currently around 1.75 billion... [Read more]
TEFL Interview: The 15 Most Asked Questions They Will Ask You - ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ITTT
TEFL Interview: The 15 Most Asked Questions They Will Ask You
02/25/2021
hello hello and welcome my name is linda thanks so much for
tuning in um yeah i'm back here again
like every week i guess um live with itt talking about
yet another very exciting and interesting teaching and tefl topic today and i
think especially this topic is going to be so useful um
and it's i think not talked about enough right we always talk about how to choose the correct tefl course
how to choose you know how to find jobs and all this kind of stuff but
not we're not going down into the nitty-gritty of the actual tefl interview and that's what we're
gonna do today so we are talking about the 15 most asked questions in a tefl interview
and hi guys thanks so much for watching i see we already have a couple of... [Read more]
Storytelling Activities for the ESL Classroom - TEFL Blog
Wed, 15 Apr 2020 Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
Storytelling Activities for the ESL Classroom
Storytelling can be useful to enhance students’ imaginations as well as improve a wide variety of skills such as listening, comprehension, order, memory, and vocabulary. It is targeted for all ages, but best to start earliest possible to allow students to develop a liking towards reading. Storytelling can come with different forms of follow-up activities to further increase teaching efficiency as well as to check understanding of the students through elicitation. This essay will be focused on mainly storytelling activities for young learners in schools.
This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Jin K. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the... [Read more]
The Most Common TEFL Interview Questions - TEFL Blog
Mon, 08 Feb 2021 Mark Crocker
TEFL Information
The Most Common TEFL Interview Questions
Job interviews are traditionally one of the most daunting prospects that we face in our working lives and interviews for TEFL jobs are generally no exception. Although no one looks forward to a job interview, the whole experience can be made less intimidating if you have some idea of what to expect. As with any type of job, interviewers for TEFL related positions have certain areas that they want to cover to assess your suitability for the position. Because these areas are normally much the same worldwide, it is possible to have a rough idea about the kind of TEFL interview questions you need to prepare for. Armed with this knowledge you should be able to enter the interview room feeling positive... [Read more]
Why is English Important for a Student's Future Career? - TEFL Blog
Mon, 09 Sep 2019 Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
Why is English Important for a Student's Future Career?
English is the second most spoken language in the world, and it is the language of International Communication. International Communication is referred to as the study of global communication or translational communication. It’s the communication practice that occurs across international borders. A few examples that include international communications are media, political, social, cultural, and military concerns. Not only is it the international communication of language, but also English is a business language. To simply answer this question, I firmly believe it is important. Here are 3 reasons why English is important for a student’s future career.
This post was written... [Read more]
How I Constructed My First ESL Lesson Plan - TEFL Blog
Wed, 01 May 2019 Mark Crocker
Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas
How I Constructed My First ESL Lesson Plan
When I had to design my first lesson plan I wanted it to be as coherent as possible as the purpose of every lesson plan is to guide the teacher in organizing her material and herself for the purpose of helping the students to attain the intended learning outcomes. When planning lessons, we need to think carefully about what stages a lesson will go through and how we will get from one stage to another. In this plan I stuck to the ESA (Engage, Study, Activate) Method that I learned about during my TEFL certification course.
This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Cengiz K.
The Engage Stage of the Lesson
To start the lesson, I use a picture of Ainsley Harriot who... [Read more]
Types of Student Assessment Every Teacher Will Encounter - TEFL Blog
Tue, 10 Aug 2021 Shirin Sophy
TEFL Information Alumni Experiences
Types of Student Assessment Every Teacher Will Encounter
It is often argued that exams probably are one of the integral parts of every syllabus, and a course appears to be left open-ended and aimless without a propitious final examination. While many people totally believe in academic achievement assessment through formal examination and the element of competitiveness it introduces, opponents persuasively argue against this notion and refer to the devastating impact, and the strain students are inevitably exposed to as a result of rigorous and lengthy exams. In this article, several types of assessment are overview, but first, let's have a look at some examination methods.
Oral exams
Oral exams, when a particular... [Read more]
The Importance of Slang and The Way to Teach it to Young Learners - TEFL Blog
Wed, 12 Aug 2020 Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
The Importance of Slang and The Way to Teach it to Young Learners
Language textbooks are a good source for language learners and teachers, especially new language learners or teachers who may not know exactly where to begin. However, while textbooks are a valuable resource, they do not teach students everything they need to know when it comes to interacting with native speakers of the target language. This is because all native speakers use some level of slang in their everyday speech, in the classroom, and even in their workplace. For this reason alone, ESL students need to begin learning common slang they may hear.
This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Justin W. Please note that this blog post might not... [Read more]
10 Questions You Need to Ask Before Enrolling In a TEFL Course - TEFL Blog
Thu, 01 Mar 2018 Linda Dunsmore
TEFL Information
10 Questions You Need to Ask Before Enrolling In a TEFL Course
With an increasing demand for qualified English language teachers across the globe comes a wide variety of TEFL and TESOL courses to choose from. However, not every course on the market will lead to a job abroad. Here are the 10 questions you need to ask a TEFL/TESOL provider before enrolling in a TEFL course.
1. Are the TEFL courses accredited and do they meet international standards?
One of the most important factors when choosing a TEFL course is to make sure that the certification gained is internationally accredited. What does that mean? When you take an accredited TEFL certification course you can be sure that the training you receive meets international standards.... [Read more]
My Personal Reflection On My First Teaching Experience - TEFL Blog
Tue, 14 May 2019 Elizaveta Pachina
Alumni Experiences
My Personal Reflection On My First Teaching Experience
As the 60 hours, TESOL course is coming to an end, I have started to think back to my first teaching experience.
This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Joyce C.
A part-time job for the student
When I was a university student, I decided that it was a good idea for me to find part-time work as an English tutor or teachers assistant so I could get the first-hand experience in teaching. I began teaching a 9-year-old girl who attended the local school in Hong Kong. Her name is Charmaine. Her mother was concerned about her English writing abilities, as she often made grammar and spelling mistakes during homework and tests which caused her grades to suffer.... [Read more]
Creating Confident Individuals Through Classroom Practice - TEFL Blog
Tue, 08 Oct 2019 Elizaveta Pachina
Alumni Experiences
Creating Confident Individuals Through Classroom Practice
Studies consistently indicate that confidence is a significant predictor of academic performance. Confident students pay more attention in class, get along better with their peers and generally have a more focused and inquisitive attitude.
This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Laura G. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
As teachers, we must help our students navigate the inevitable uncomfortable moments that will arise. How can we boost their confidence and create an environment that leaves them with a feeling of satisfaction and empowerment? Here we’ll examine some of the things we can do... [Read more]
Comparing Foreign Language Learning in Japan and Canada - TEFL Blog
Tue, 04 Feb 2020 Amanda Stern
Alumni Experiences
Comparing Foreign Language Learning in Japan and Canada
Globalization has been changing our world. Once foreign cultures have become more and more familiar, and some even hit the global mainstream, such as Bollywood film and the recent wave of K-pop. One thing aiding in bridging this gap would be the rise of interest in bilingualism and multilingualism.
Many children are in education systems where a second language is mandatory to study from a young age. For example, In Canada, my home country, French is taught in the Anglophone provinces from grade 4 (about 10 years of age). In Japan, my current address, the English curriculum is changing, and now students will begin learning from 三年生 sannensei, about 9 years of age. Of course,... [Read more]